✧ Jay ✧
My head hurts.
That's the first thing I notice.
The second-
I'm not in my room.
I blink slowly, staring at the ceiling.
White.
Unfamiliar.
"...Where am I?"
My voice comes out soft.
"You're awake."
I freeze.
That voice-
I turn my head.
Ren.
He's sitting near the bed, leaning slightly forward, like he's been waiting.
Watching.
And suddenly-
everything comes back.
The club.
The lights.
The laughter.
Him.
My breath catches.
Oh.
Oh.
I sit up too fast.
Bad idea.
My head spins.
"Careful-"
He's already there.
His hand lightly holding my arm, steadying me before I fall.
I go still.
He's close.
Too close.
And last night-
I pull back slightly.
Not harsh.
Just-
because I don't know what to do.
"...I kissed you."
It slips out.
Quiet.
Unfiltered.
Ren pauses.
Just for a second.
Then-
"...Yeah."
And suddenly-
my cheeks heat up.
Why am I embarrassed?
"I'm sorry," I mumble, looking down.
"What?"
"I was drunk, I just-"
"You don't need to apologize."
I look up.
He's serious.
Not teasing.
Not brushing it off.
"You didn't do anything wrong," he adds.
My heart does something weird.
"I was drunk," I repeat softly.
"You were honest."
That shuts me up.
Completely.
I remember what I said.
"You're always there..."
My face burns.
"Oh my god," I whisper, covering my face.
"I said so much, didn't I?"
Ren lets out a quiet laugh.
"Yeah."
"That's so embarrassing," I groan.
A small pause
.
Then-
"...I liked it."
I freeze.
Slowly lower my hands.
"You... what?"
Ren looks away.
Actually looks away.
"...I liked it," he repeats, quieter.
Now he's the one avoiding my eyes
.
And somehow-
that makes my face heat up even more.
"...You're blushing," I mumble.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
I tilt my head, trying not to smile.
"You are."
He exhales, running a hand through his hair.
"...Okay. Maybe a little."
That makes me laugh.
And just like that-
the tension softens.
But it doesn't disappear.
It lingers.
I move slightly-
and that's when I notice it.
The hoodie.
I look down.
This is not mine.
"...Ren."
"Yeah?"
"...Why am I wearing your hoodie?"
He pauses.
"You were cold."
"That's it?"
He shrugs. "You were shivering."
My fingers tighten around the sleeves.
It's warm.
Soft.
And smells like him.
My cheeks heat up again.
"Did I ask for it?"
"...No."
Oh.
So he just-
gave it to me.
Without me asking
.
Something in my chest shifts.
Before I can think too much-
he stands.
"I made tea."
I blink. "You what?"
He nods toward the table.
A cup is already there.
"...Since when do you make tea?"
"When you're hungover."
I stare at him.
"You could've just given me water."
"You don't like plain water in the morning."
I freeze.
"...How do you know that?"
He pauses.
"You said it once."
Once.
He remembered that?
I don't say anything.
I just reach for the cup.
It's warm.
Not too hot.
Exactly right.
"...You even got the sugar right," I mumble.
"I guessed."
He didn't.
I can tell.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
He nods like it's nothing
.
Like remembering things about me-
is normal.
I take another sip.
"...Did you sleep?"
He shakes his head.
My brows knit. "You stayed up?"
"You weren't feeling well."
My chest tightens.
"You should've woken me."
"You needed sleep."
"And you didn't?"
He doesn't answer.
Which is answer enough.
"...You're too nice," I say softly.
He scoffs. "That's not a compliment."
"It is."
He looks at me.
And for a second-
neither of us looks away.
My heart starts racing again.
"...You're staring," he says.
"You were staring first."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
He exhales, shaking his head.
"...You're impossible."
I smile.
And for some reason-
this feels easy.
Too easy.
I'm not used to easy.
I'm used to waiting.
To chasing.
To wondering if I'm enough.
But with him-
I don't feel like I have to try so hard.
And that scares me.
But not enough to walk away.
"...Ren?"
"Yeah?"
I hesitate.
Then-
"...Did it mean something to you?"
He doesn't answer right away.
He just looks at me.
Then nods.
"Yeah."
Simple.
Honest.
My heart skips.
"...Okay."
And for now-
that's enough.